CSA Australia Savez

28/04/2026

Breaking News - 2026 Cro Tourney to be co-hosted by St Albans Dinamo and FC Strathmore Split

The CSAA (Savez) Board is delighted to announce that for the first time in our Savez's history, we have appointed 2 CSAA member clubs - St Albans Dinamo and HNK Strathmore Split - as co-hosts of this year's Croatian Soccer Tournament.

This year’s tourney will be staged in Melbourne between Thursday September 24th and Sunday September 27th, 2026 (with Tourney weekend coinciding with the AFL Grand Final weekend).

Group games will be staged at both these clubs' home grounds - Churchill Reserve in St Albans and Strathnaver Reserve in Strathmore. All Saturday fixtures & all 5 Divisional finals will be staged at Dinamo's Churchill Reserve.

Further details on the program associated with this year's tourney - both on and off the field at each venue - will follow via postings across different social media platforms that will shortly be launched specifically for this year's tourney.

On behalf our entire Savez membership, we wish to thank the committees of St Albans Dinamo and HNK Strathmore Split for their commitment to putting on a tournament for our Croatian community.

So start spreading the news and where required, start booking your flights and Melbourne accommodation.

19/03/2026

The CSAA U-14 representative side set to compete at next month’s 22nd International U-14 'Memorial of Vukovar Defenders’ (Memorijal Vukovarskih Branitelja) Football Tournament, have been drawn in Group B of this year’s tournament together with

NK Osijek
NK Istra 1961
HSK NJEMAČKA I ŠVEDSKA (German-Swedish Diaspora representative team)

Our team’s 3 group games against these opponents will be played on Friday April 10 and Saturday April 11 in Vukovar.

The CSAA wishes to again express our gratitude towards the organisers of this special tournament, our generous sponsors of this year’s CSAA team, and the HNS for their continued support of our Savez.

19/03/2026

The CSAA is delighted and proud to announce that this year’s U-14 Boys CSAA representative side which will compete at next month’s “Memorial of Vukovar Defenders" U-14 International Football Tournament (Međunarodni nogometni turnir “Memorijal vukovarskih branitelja U-14″) in Vukovar - will be sponsored by organizations with close affiliations to our local Croatian community.

The CSAA would like to formally acknowledge and thank the following organizations for their generous support of this year’s team

LIVING GEMS - a subsidiary company of the ASX listed Gem Life (Australia’s leading developer & operator of premium, resort-style lifestyle communities designed specifically for active people over 50)

Owned and managed by Adrian and Peter Puljich, the Gold Coast based Living Gems represents being a long-time sponsor and supporter of the Gold Coast Knights, as well as many other Croatian community organizations and cultural events including last year’s 51st CSAA Soccer Tournament.

MELBOURNE CROATIA SOCCER CLUB

Led by President Monica Cimera, the North Sunshine based institution is one of the oldest Croatian Clubs in Australia. As well as being the home of both the Melbourne Knights FC and Melbourne’s annual Croktoberfest celebration, Melbourne Croatia Soccer Club is also a supporter of many Croatian cultural organizations within Victoria, and has since 2023 exclusively partnered with the CSAA to host the Melbourne based HNS-CSAA football development camps.

AHD MELBOURNE & GEELONG

Led by club Presidents Ante Jurić (AHD Melbourne) and Andro Jurković (Croatian Club Geelong), these two Australsko Hrvatsko Drustvo organizations - better known as the two Victorian based Doms - represent being long time sponsors and supporters of many of Victoria Savez member football clubs as well as a many Croatian community and cultural organizations within Australia.

The Vukovar tour is especially close to AHD Melbourne, as the Footscray based organisation has for many years financially assisted a “Dom” in Vukovar where the Croatian war veterans in that city regularly meet and socialise.

KING TOM CLUB

Led by long time President Tomislav Lerotić, the Edensor Park based institution is the largest and oldest Croatian Social Club in Sydney. The multi-million dollar social club complex is also the iconic home of Sydney United 58 FC. In addition to hosting many concerts and community events , the King Tom Club is home to many sporting clubs and social groups within the Harbour City’s Croatian Community.

Together with the ongoing support the CSAA receives from the Hrvatski nogometni savez (HNS), the generous financial support provided by this year’s sponsors will greatly assist us to continue to provide young players of Croatian ancestry a unique footballing and cultural learning experience.

25/02/2026

For the fourth consecutive year, the Croatian Soccer Association of Australia (CSAA) will send a “U-14 Boys CSAA representative side” made up of Australian-born players of Croatian ancestry, to compete at the “Memorial of Vukovar Defenders" U-14 International Football Tournament (Međunarodni nogometni turnir “Memorijal vukovarskih branitelja U-14″) in Vukovar.

This tournament has for 21 years been primarily organized by the Croatian Association of Vukovar War Veterans of the Homeland War - "VUKOVAR '91", the City of Vukovar (Grad Vukovar) and the Croatian Football Federation (Hrvatski nogometni savez), and it is from this tournament - which is attended by U-14 sides from all HNL clubs, as well as U-14 representative sides from Croatian communities within Germany-Sweden, Austria, North America and once again Australia – that the HNS select a squad that will form the basis of the next Croatian National Team at an U-15 level.

On behalf of our membership of clubs, the CSAA would like to congratulate the 17 players selected to represent our Savez community in Vukovar (as detailed in the Hrvatski Vjesnik piece linked below) as well as thank the organizations that have generously agreed to sponsor this year’s “U-14 Boys CSAA representative side” - Gem Life, Melbourne Croatia Soccer Club, King Tom Club, AHD Melbourne, Croatian Club Geelong (AHD Geelong).

The Australian Croatian squad for a Boys’ U14 international football tournament in Croatia in April has been finalised.

17/11/2025

The CSAA in conjunction with the HNS, is inviting all Australian-born male footballers of Croatian ancestry born from 2011-2013, to express their interest in trialling for the 2026 CSAA representative team that will partake in the “Memorial of Vukovar Defenders" U-14 International Football Tournament (Međunarodni nogometni turnir “Memorijal vukovarskih branitelja U-14″) in Vukovar.

To register your son's interest in partaking in these trials (planned for January 2026), look to complete the on-line "Expression of Interest" (EOI) form that can be accessed from the QR code featured in the attached promotional poster, or via the following link https://bit.ly/3Jjpkkp

The deadline associated with the submission of EOIs is November 30.

17/11/2025

🕯️Vukovar – da se nikada ne zaboravi.

This video was made by a Year 4 student in Croatia following his visit to sacred sites in Vukovar

For the forth consecutive year, the Croatian Soccer Association of Australia (CSAA) plan to send a “U-14 Boys CSAA representative side” made up of Australian-born players of Croatian ancestry, to compete at the “Memorial of Vukovar Defenders" U-14 International Football Tournament (Međunarodni nogometni turnir “Memorijal vukovarskih branitelja U-14″) in Vukovar.

Although the basis of the tour is football, the tour also has a significant Croatian cultural and educational component to it. As has been the case the last 3 tours, next year's selection of boys - with the kind assistance of some Vukovar war veterans from the Croatian Association of Vukovar War Veterans of the Homeland War - "VUKOVAR '91", whom the CSAA has close ties with - our team again will partake in tours of important Vukovar sites as featuredin the video -namely, The Vukovar Hospital, The Ovčara Memorial Centre, The National Memorial Cemetery of The Victims of Homeland War in Vukovar and Vukovar’s famous water tower.

At this time, the CSAA in conjunction with the HNS, is inviting all Australian-born male footballers of Croatian ancestry born from 2011-2013, to express their interest in trialling for the 2026 CSAA representative team.

To register your son's interest in partaking in these trials (planned for January 2026), look to complete the on-line "Expression of Interest" (EOI) form that can be accessed from the QR code featured in the attached promotional poster, or via the following link https://bit.ly/3Jjpkkp

The deadline associated with the submission of EOIs is November 30.

12/11/2025

51 years and counting …. 🇭🇷⚽️🇦🇺

07/11/2025

For the forth consecutive year, the Croatian Soccer Association of Australia (CSAA) plan to send a “U-14 Boys CSAA representative side” made up of Australian-born players of Croatian ancestry, to compete at the “Memorial of Vukovar Defenders" U-14 International Football Tournament (Međunarodni nogometni turnir “Memorijal vukovarskih branitelja U-14″) in Vukovar.

This tournament has for 21 years been primarily organized by the Croatian Association of Vukovar War Veterans of the Homeland War - "VUKOVAR '91", the City of Vukovar and the Croatian Football Federation (Hrvatski nogometni savez), and it is from this tournament - which is attended by U-14 sides from all HNL clubs (including GNK Dinamo Zagreb and HNK Hajduk Split) as well as U-14 representative sides from Croatian communities within Germany-Sweden, Austria, North America and what will be for the fourth time Australia – that the HNS select a squad that will form the basis of the next Croatian National Team at an U-15 level.

At this time, the CSAA in conjunction with the HNS, is inviting all Australian-born male footballers of Croatian ancestry born from 2011-2013, to express their interest in trialling for the 2026 CSAA representative team.

To register your son's interest in partaking in these trials (planned for January 2026), look to complete the on-line "Expression of Interest" (EOI) form that can be accessed from the QR code featured in the attached promotional poster, or via the following link https://bit.ly/3Jjpkkp

All successful trialists will need to be able to travel to Croatia the week after Easter next year. The CSAA squad will congregate in Zagreb on Easter Monday (April 6, 2026) with the 7-day tour ending on Sunday evening April 12 (the week in question represents being one that coincides with Term 1 school holidays throughout Australia).

The deadline associated with the submission of EOIs is November 30.

02/10/2025

Unashamedly proud that our tourney continues to attract the interest of Croatian news portals and Croatian diaspora communities globally.

https://total-croatia-news.com/news/sport/cro-tourney-2025/?fbclid=IwdGRjcANLS6ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHrCg1nuZRKkp7m_x5SVfadSuzKbw04PeKzwW6XG_qDGtIuHYYZEm9XI6noti_aem_P82OOmBxbz3CfcG6EO7_wg

The Gold Coast turned into a sea of red, white, and blue this September as the 51st Annual Croatian Soccer Tournament of Australia (Cro Tourney 2025) took over Carrara. For four days, football and festivity collided in a way only Cro Tourney can. With 55 teams battling across five divisions and thou...

01/10/2025

Congratulations to the hosts of this year's 2025 CSAA Soccer Tournament Gold Coast Knights and the Gold Coast Croatian Sports Centre for putting on a fantastic celebration of Croatian soccer and culture, and maintaining the momentum of our tournament, which represents that largest annual gathering of our Croatian communities from across Australia.

To this year’s 51st CSAA Soccer Tournament Organizing Committee (pictured below):

Anthony Puljich
Elvis Rajić
Anna-Maria Rajić
Mario Volarević
Ivica Sabelja
Ivan Miskej
Tony Ružić
Natalia Šimic
Kiana Brešić
Slavko Maletić
Damien Brešić

the subcommittee that looked after the organization & management of the tourney’s Ladies Lunch and Heritage Night

Mary Volarević
Suzi Brešić
Daniela Sabelja

With helpers

Di Josipović
Nina Ružić
Katarina Barac
Bernadette Kuljanac
Jelena Sabelja
Erna Mudnić

and this year’s Football Operations team

Simon Pilić
Mario Kopljar
Mark Majdandzić
Pat Hedges

We sincerely hope that you all (and each and everyone of your club’s and community’s army of tireless volunteers) are able to realize just how great an event you all managed to put on for our Savez Community form across Australia, and just how much joy and pride you all helped deliver to everyone that attended. On behalf of the CSAA Board, It was a pleasure to work with you all - Od srca, najlipša vam Hvala!

To Adrian Puljich and Gem Life, Mirko Cindrić from Sentia Australia Pty Ltd, the Hrvatski Vjesnik Croatian Herald crew and all the other generous tourney sponsors who contributed to and/or supported this year’s Tourney - on behalf of the Savez, all our member clubs, and all this year's tourney visitors, thank you for your generosity and support of our Savez community.

Finally, to my fellow Savez Board members Tom Lukić, Damien Brešić and Marija Golubić - thank you for your continued support, efforts, dedication and trust.

Jure Dragović

Hrvatski Nogometni Savez Australije - Uvijek Ponosni i Spremni!

CST 2025 Winners

Men’s Div 1 - Gold Coast Knights
Men’s Div 2 - Gold Coast Knights
Women’s Div - Gold Coast Knights
Masters (Over 35) - FC Strathmore Split
Veterans (Over 45) - Gospic Bears

Ivi Jurković Team Spirit Award - FC Croatia München 1970

2025 CSAA Hall of Fame Inductees

Mile Matišić - Brisbane Knights - Croatia
Franjo Vuković - Brisbane Knights - Croatia
Martin Franješević - Hurstville Zagreb